Adoptive Parents

Julie is the executive director of Main Street Family Services, a social service agency whose focus is to support parents and their children with resources, solutions, and practical strategies they need to thrive. Julie is a social worker who has spent 20 years of her career supporting adoptive & foster care parents, and the biological parents of children who are in out-of-home placement. Julie is also a parent, adoptive parent, and grandparent.

I have worked in child welfare, kinship care, and adoption since 2004. I started out serving as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem with the Second Judicial District. From 2006-2017, I filled a variety of roles with the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) that primarily centered around advocacy, support, leadership capacity development, and education for youth, young adults, families, and professionals within the foster care, kinship care, and adoption communities.

Jamie Rieser has worked with children and families in a variety of settings for over 20 years including in children’s day treatment, case management, community mental health, ECFE parent education, school-based counseling, and outpatient mental health. She currently provides office-based mental health therapy services in her private practice. She works with infant/early childhood populations in the family context, children, adults, and families using attachment-based therapy, play-based interventions, CBT, and parenting education.

I am a licensed psychologist with a long-standing interest in clinical work with all members of the adoption constellation. I work with adolescents and adults, with a special interest in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with adult adoptees. I conduct pre-adoption psychological evaluations. My website is https://kvernsn.wixstudio.com/sagepsychology

All people are striving for well-being in their life, with ideas, goals, and opportunities available for each unique person. It is my sincere belief that most people know the direction they aim towards in life. However, life often throws us curveballs, and it's okay to ask someone to come along for part of the journey. You may need help to reframe your perspective, build up coping skills and mindfulness, process trauma, or support your relationships in order to continue on your life's journey.

Areas that I specialize in include: working with all types of families; adoptive, foster, and kinship, adult/youth adoptees, transracial parenting, communication/conflict, life transitions, childhood trauma, child development, as well as depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health diagnosis.

Elliott is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and holds a Master’s degree from Augsburg College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Elliott has had the privilege of working with children, youth, individuals and families of diverse backgrounds who are experiencing behavioral and mental health needs, disruptions in attachment and family relationships, trauma, as well as those experiencing the negative impacts of systemic and structural bias and racism.

When meeting clients I begin with the question of "What happened to you" rather than "What is wrong with you." When I get to watch and bear witness as an individual or family grows and is able to heal it humbles me! I like to walk along side those I work with in helping them develop/discover the life and relationships they desire. I also enjoy working with couples in achieving satisfying marriages or relationships.

I am currently working as a Mental Health Practitioner at CARE Counseling. Prior to that, I worked at at St. David's primarily with kids and their families who have been a part of the foster care system. I have provided Intensive Treatment to Foster Care (ITFC), and Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO). I prioritize building strong relationships in order to support clients to be vibrant members of their communities. I recognize that our experiences in the world create our lens in which we view things.